Torija definitively approves the ordinance for the management of feline colonies

The Torija City Council has definitively approved the Ordinance regulating the management of feline colonies, the full text of which is published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Guadalajara No. 217, of November 12, 2026. The regulation will enter into force on November 27, fifteen days after its full publication, and will remain in effect until its express modification or repeal. The text establishes the conditions for feeding and sanitary control of community cats, the authorization regime for those who care for them, and a schedule of infractions with fines of up to 3,000 euros.

The initial plenary agreement was adopted on September 16, 2026, and was submitted for public information through its publication in BOP No. 180, of September 22, 2026. As no claims were filed during the public exhibition period, the agreement was automatically elevated to definitive status, in accordance with Article 70.2 of Law 7/1985, of April 2, on the Bases of the Local Regime, which requires the full publication of the text for general knowledge.

The ordinance is based on Law 7/2023, of March 28, on the protection of the rights and welfare of animals, whose Article 39 assigns to local entities the management of community cats through Feline Colony Management Programs. The scope of application is the municipal district of Torija (Guadalajara) and the document was signed in the town on November 9, 2026, by the Mayor-President, Mr. Álvaro Murillo Bonacho.

TNR Method, sterilization and marking

The core of the regulation is the TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) method, defined as the non-harmful procedure that includes the trapping, sterilization, and return of community cats to their colony, always with the intervention of a registered veterinary professional. The ordinance lists its advantages:

• Improvement of the cats’ welfare by reducing stress within the group.
• Control of aggressiveness among the animals themselves.
• Decrease in the prevalence of infectious diseases.
• Halting the exponential growth of the population.

Surgical sterilization will be performed on all specimens, males and females, with early sterilization of prepubescents around four months of age. Before the return, each animal will be marked by the removal of the upper left quarter of the ear in females and the right in males already sterilized, and will be identified with a microchip registered in the name of the City Council. During the same act, according to veterinary criteria, vaccination and internal and external parasite control with a broad-spectrum antiparasitic will be carried out.

Feeding, cleaning and caregivers

The text mandates feeding with dry food—wet food only for captures or treatments—without leaving food on the ground and with daily cleaning of remains. Feeders and waterers, which must be leak-proof and have low visual impact, shall be located far from educational and health centers, playgrounds, sports facilities, restaurants, bars, homes, and high-traffic roads. To calibrate the ration, a rule is established: if it is consumed in less than fifteen minutes, it must be increased, and if it remains for more than one hour, it must be reduced.

Those wishing to care for colonies must submit an application to the municipal registry, receive training, and obtain an identification card that assigns them a colony. Their duties include:

• Capturing the animals for registration and sterilization, and releasing them afterward.
• Providing appropriate food and clean, fresh water.
• Periodically cleaning feeding and waste areas.
• Reporting any incidents in the colony to the City Council.

Voluntary cessation must be communicated at least fifteen business days in advance, and repeated failure to comply with obligations or serious prejudice to the management of the colony will result in the loss of caregiver status.

Prohibitions, infractions, and sanctions

The ordinance prohibits euthanasia except for certified health reasons, the confinement of non-socialized cats in animal protection centers, abandonment in colonies, release into colonies other than the original one, hunting exploitation, and the removal of specimens, with specific exceptions for sick cats, socialized cats, and adoptable kittens. Relocation is only permitted when remaining puts the animal’s integrity, the biodiversity of protected spaces, or protected fauna at risk, or poses a risk to the health and safety of people.

The sanctioning regime distinguishes three levels:

• Minor infractions: feeding any animal species without prior authorization, with a fine from 150.25 to 300.51 euros.
• Serious infractions: removing, relocating, or displacing cats in non-permitted cases, with a fine from 300.52 to 2,404.05 euros.
• Very serious infractions: killing community cats outside of authorized cases, with a fine from 2,404.06 to 3,000 euros.

Additionally, dog owners must adopt measures to ensure that the presence of their animals does not disturb or endanger the colonies and the resources allocated to them. The text incorporates a glossary with definitions for community cat, roaming cat, controlled urban colony, collaborating entity, and CER program, and animal data will be collected in a registry including health evaluation, colony of origin, dates of capture, sterilization, marking, and release, photograph, and observations.

Appeal and entry into force

The regulation includes the warning that an administrative appeal may be filed against the agreement before the Administrative Litigation Chamber of the High Court of Justice of Castilla-La Mancha, based in Albacete, within two months from the day following the publication of the announcement, in accordance with Article 46 of Law 29/1998, of July 13.

The entry into force on November 27 opens a period during which municipal officials must create the cat registry and the list of authorized caregivers. For the residents of Torija, the ordinance transfers the obligations of the state animal welfare law to the local level: only accredited persons may feed community cats, they must do so with dry food and in designated locations, and any intervention on the animals shall be linked to the TNR method and veterinary control.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Guadalajara, no. 217, November 12, 2026, CITY COUNCILS section (Torija City Council), p. 1 et seq. (official reference: verification code f7230baf1497608d92e0fbc4cf51674fc51d0e45).